Restoration
building refurbishment projects
Symm & Co Ltd - Gargoyles are carvings that have a function too
Oxford is noted as one of England’s cultural, educational and
architectural masterpieces – its history as a settlement reaches
back before the year 1000 AD. Famed for its majestic spires,
beautiful colleges and university buildings, it is steeped in
tradition and detail, personified by strange creatures in stone
lurking high up, protruding against the skyline, roaming along
and around the buildings and spying on those below.
Gargoyles are carvings that have a function too – they take the
rain from the guttering behind them, ‘gargling’ the rain and
spewing it out through the mouth.
A Grotesque is a figure of humour or horror but with a
decorative function, said to scare away evil spirits. Gargoyles
and Grotesques may be human or animal, allegorical or real and
may represent noted individuals or religious figures. Not all
have violent expressions, some are quiet with watchful eyes.
Other examples of the stone masons art can be seen in numerous
small details: crests, niches, statuary, decoration and
embellishment. They usually adorn the exterior or buildings, in
the same stone, but do occur inside as well.
Symm’s associated company, APS Masonry, also based in Oxford,
takes inspiration from the extraordinary and stunning
architectural details surrounding it, and undertakes a wide
range of commissions from private residences and collegiate
buildings to private buildings.
Comments CEO Aidan Mortimer ‘Gargoyles have not been
particularly popular in the last fifty years or so, but are
beginning to enjoy something of a renaissance. For their black
and gothic wit, they are an entertaining asset to many
buildings’.
Email:
sophie@parkerhobart.com